Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Freedom Fighters
by GlassSuicune
Summary: Long ago, the Queen of Frost defeated the Queen of Order and the Queen of Chaos, taking over the world. Many resisted her rule, but many have fallen, and those that remain are on the brink of defeat. Only a small band of freedom fighters can stop her...
1. Wing's Wish

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Freedom Fighters by GlassSuicune

Note: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo. I guess I own the characters in here. XD Anyways, this idea mostly came from me anticipating the inevitable Black/White Mystery Dungeon games like nobody's business, and then wondering what the 'teams' would do. For some reason freedom fighters popped into my head, and I decided to write this... So, in essence, I guess you could say this is my idea for a Mystery Dungeon game.

Chapter 1: Wing's Wish.

"Aile, seriously..." a Totodile said to a gold-coloured Charmander, "Get to sleep... We're in for yet another rough day! Do you seriously want to make yourself even more tired?" The Charmander, Aile, looked at his friend and replied, "I know, I know...but I can't help it... Drift, ever since we were born we've been trapped here, working day in, day out... I feel like something's going to come that will end this... I feel like we're going to be a part of it..."

"Everyone does, Aile..."

"So you've lost faith, then?"

"Not exactly. I just don't see the sense in yearning for something that may not even come to us..."

"I understand..."

"Good. Now get some sleep for Pete's sake!"

Drift then laid his head back down, closing his eyes. Aile took another look at the necklace he had been staring at before, then got into the uncomfortable straw bed, hid the necklace, then quickly fell asleep. His conversation with Drift had gone completely unnoticed by the other Pokemon in the room, as they were sound asleep.

_The next day..._

"Quit day-dreaming and work!" an angry Gabite snapped, threatening Aile with a Dragon Claw. Aile chose to ignore him, but did quicken his pace a little, pushing the clay block further. The Gabite seemed less angry now, but still kept a careful eye on him. Drift was close by, working together with a female Riolu to put a couple beams in place. A female Electrike was right next to Aile, looking sick, though it was pretty obvious that the Gabite either didn't notice, or didn't even care, as he chose to threaten her for not working fast enough.

"Hey!" Aile shouted, growing enraged, "Can't you see she's sick?" The Gabite stared at him. "Is that supposed to be an excuse?" he scoffed, looking ready to attack Aile.

"Don't you get it? Topaz can't work...!"

"What did you say?"

"I called her 'Topaz'. What of it?"

"Do you think saying one of your pathetic names would get me to care?"

At this point, the Gabite shoved Aile to the ground while Topaz watched helplessly. Drift, the Riolu, and a few other Pokemon took notice of this. "Do you want to fight me, little kid?" the Gabite spat, looming over Aile, "I'll crush every bone in your body!" Topaz was growing horrified. "Stop it!" she cried, trying to attack the shark-like dragon, but her body was too weak. The Gabite smacked her away while setting his foot on Aile, forcing him into the ground.

"Hey! Get off my friend!" Drift cried, spraying a weak Water Gun at the Gabite. It was enough to make him get his foot off of Aile, who took a huge gulp of air. The Riolu backed off only slightly as the Gabite approached her and Drift. The other Pokemon who were watching, which consisted of a Treecko, a Chimchar, a Trapinch, and an Eevee, all looked very uneasy. The Gabite readied Dragon Claw, about to make short work of Drift...

"Gate! Enough with this idiocy!"

The Gabite, Gate, let out a gasp and canceled his attack, turning to face a very ticked off Garchomp. "Y-yes Master Keye!" he said shakily. Keye seemed to ignore him for a moment, choosing to look at Topaz. "Have her do easier labour for now..." he said harshly, "It'd be a waste to have another one die..."

"Understood, Master!"

"Now then... Take care of her and come to my cabin. I'd like to talk with you and Chain about what you found earlier today..."

"Yes sir."

Keye then took a glance at the other Pokemon. "Get back to work!" he yelled, before walking away. Gate grumbled and lead Topaz away. Drift then looked at Aile in disbelief. "I'm not going to stand and do nothing..." Aile said bluntly, answering the question before it was even asked. He then returned to his 'job', and the others did as well. "Yeah!" the Chimchar declared for no reason whatsoever.

_Later, at 'dinner' time..._

Aile set the Oran Berry down, laying his head against the wall. It had once more been a horrid day, and after all the work he had done, he felt sick to his stomach. He closed his eyes and touched the collar around his neck, which was made of pure Everstone, letting out a long sigh. Every Pokemon that was forced to work here was stuck with these kinds of collars, so they wouldn't be able to evolve, and thus, overthrow Master Keye and his followers. No matter how hard they tried, they could never remove the collars, as they resisted any attack. But he had thought of a way to destroy them...

"Are you okay?" an unfamiliar feminine voice asked, tearing Aile from his thoughts. The salamander opened his eyes and turned to face the owner of a voice, seeing a tiny Eastern dragon staring at him, which made him wonder what the heck a Tsutarja was doing in this country, let alone HERE. "Oh, I'm fine..." Aile lied, "How'd you get here, anyway?"

"Well, I woke up in a forest, wandered around a bit, and the next thing I know, the All-Brawn-and-No-Brain Brothers drag me here. Very impressive hospitality, I might add."

"You mean those nasty Gabites, Gate and Chain?"

"Are those their names? Very, _very_ tasteful."

Aile barely noticed Drift covering his mouth to keep from laughing. "Wait...what were you doing in the forest anyway?" Aile asked. "I don't remember..." the Tsutarja replied, shrugging, "Besides, you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you..."

"Told me what?"

"I'M HUMAN! THAT'S WHAT!"

All the Pokemon in the room stared at the Tsutarja, all with varying emotion. "Yeah!" the Chimchar cried, causing the Riolu and Trapinch to stare at him.

"W-wait!" Drift cried in disbelief, "_H-human_?" The Tsutarja rolled her eyes. "I'm not some mental case," she said angrily, "I remember having been human once...clear as day!" Drift still looked skeptical. "You look like a Tsutarja in every way..." he told her rather bluntly, "You even _act_ like one..." The crocodile quickly found out that was not a smart thing to say, as the snake-like dragon now had him pinned against the wall, her red eyes filled with fury. "What...is...that...supposed...to...mean?" she hissed, coming close to choking Drift ( which is an accomplishment for her species, as they generally wrapped their snake-like bodies around their victims, rather than using their tiny paws).

"C-calm down!" Aile cried, managing to pull the Grass dragon off his friend. The Tsutarja still glared at Drift, who was busy massaging his throat. "Look... I believe you..." Aile said out of nowhere, causing everyone to stare at him. The Tsutarja blinked, before managing to wiggle out of Aile's grasp and face him. "You do?" she questioned, "Or are you just saying that to mock me?"

"No no no! I'm sincere."

"You better be..."

"...On another note, my name is Aile and my friend that you almost choked is Drift. What's your name?"

"Aeolus..."

The other Pokemon were busy staring, trying to comprehend what the heck was going on. "Is that all they do?" Aeolus scoffed, not at all impressed. "I'd like to see you keep that attitude after a few days here..." the Treecko immediately shot back, "After all, what did you spend today doing?"

"Sitting in a terribly fascinating cell for a few hours, then getting dragged out and forced to clean various rooms of this place. Why? Am I missing something even better?"

The sarcasm laced within her voice didn't go unnoticed by the Treecko, so he decided to bite back. "Why yes..." he said darkly, "Wait until they take you out of there and outside with the rest of us..." Aeolus opened her mouth to make a smart reply, but was stopped when the door creaked open. "Everyone to their rooms!" Gate shouted, as he and a Persian walked into the room. Followed by the Persian, the Pokemon all got up and left, Aile, Drift, and Aeolus being the last. "Not you!" Gate growled, grabbing Aeolus by her collar, "Master Keye wants to see you." He then lead her away, Aile looking over his shoulder and seeing this.

"No Aile..." Drift whispered, well aware the salamander was about to do something crazy. Aile looked at him seriously. "We've waited too long..." he whispered, "I know my plan is a long-shot, but we have to try. Especially for _her_ sake."

"...Fine..."

Aile then ran to the Riolu, whispering to her that the shaky plan they had formed would be enacted. The Riolu's eyes widened, but she nodded nonetheless, and went to the tell the others. Eventually, everyone had made it to their rooms, and the Persian closed the stone doors and locked them with steel bars almost carelessly, as if he didn't expect anything to happen.

"Buddy..." Drift said with a wry grin, while wrapping his arm around Aile's shoulder, "If this kills us all...I'm going to end you." Aile responded with his own wry grin. "I wouldn't have it any other way." he told the crocodile. Topaz and the Trapinch both looked nervous, well aware the plan that seemed to be their only hope of freedom would now be enacted. Needless to say, they really doubted it would even work, as Keye and his guards were too strong.

"Aile..." the Trapinch started, almost hoping he could reason with the Charmander, "Are you really sure this'll even work? Every Pokemon that has tried to escape has failed! An escape is impossible..." Aile looked at him with a strange gleam in his eye. "How do you know, Storm?" he asked, "We've never tried as one before."

Storm didn't respond in words, but with a sigh, showing that he wouldn't press the matter further. Topaz was too sick to say anything, but she did look slightly reassured. Afterwards, the three healthy Pokemon turned their attention to the door. Drift mustered up as much strength as he could, and put it all into a Water Gun attack, in an attempt to weaken the door, while Storm mixed a Sand Tomb into it, creating a whole mess of mud, Aile readying Metal Claw.

"Guys, is that the best you can do? COME ON!" the Riolu shrieked, hoping desperately the Cranidos and Shieldon didn't squish her flat with their ramming into the door, "Luna, keep helping Chomper and Ram out!" The Eevee responded by warily using Helping Hand, strengthening the two dinosaurs' attacks, as well as the Riolu's. "Understood, Lia!" she cried. Chomper and Ram then got to the very back, and charged towards the door, ramming their rock-hard heads smack into it, causing it to crack, while Lia slammed it with a Force Palm, making the crack even larger. Lia then immediately got out of the way as the tiny dinosaurs went for the kill, smashing the door into pieces.

"What the?" the Persian, Slash, cried out, hearing a door meet its demise from where the slaves slept. Growling under his breath, he ran to that area, ready to make short work of whoever broke the door. When he got there, he found Lia, Luna, Chomper, and Ram standing proudly in the hallway. "You little...!" Slash started, but was unable to finish as the door he was standing in front of burst into pieces, sending him flying a few feet. "That worked out perfectly." Aile mused, as he and the others walked out, "Topaz, are you well enough to release the others? This could get ugly..." Topaz nodded and went off to unlock the other doors, as Slash got up.

"You're going to pay for that!" Slash yelled angrily, readying the move that was his namesake. Aile gulped and readied Metal Claw in response, making sure everyone else was ready. Slash quickly charged towards them, his claws glistening in what little light there was. Aile immediately ran out of the way while Chomper jumped at the cat, his head glowing. He managed to successfully strike Slash with a Zen Head-butt, though all things considered, there wasn't really much peace within it. Slash was pushed back slightly, the attack doing more damage than it normally would have thanks to Luna's constant abuse of Helping Hand.

"Little whelp!" Slash yelled angrily, smacking Chomper and sending him off to the side. He immediately went for Luna, and she took notice, shrieking and running out of the way. Before his claws could touch her, Storm had slammed him in the side with Faint Attack, while Aile slashed the back of his head with Metal Claw. And to top that off, Ram decided to live up to his name and rammed his head into Slash's in a fierce Take Down.

"I'm through going easy on you!" Slash yelled as he recovered, shaking Aile off his back and readying Water Pulse, much to their panic. A stray Thundershock promptly hit the growing blast of water in his mouth, sending him flying again. Everyone then turned to see Topaz trying to wake up a now unconscious Pichu, all of the other Pokemon standing behind her. Slash got up and noticed them all, his pupils shrinking. "Yeah!" the Chimchar cried, readying Flame Wheel. "You got it wrong!" a Bagon cried, readying Head-butt, "It's...FREEDOM!"

Slash let out a blood-curdling scream as the small army of Pokemon overtook him, showing once and for all just how powerful he really was.

Note: Yeah... That's the first chapter. XD Or rather, part of it. The original Chapter 1 was nearly ten pages long on my word document, so I split it into two chapters. Which is the reason I chose to post both at the same time. Anyways, review please?


	2. Battle Against Keye

Note: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo. Here's Chapter 2!

Chapter 2: Battle Against Keye.

Aeolus shifted uncomfortably as Keye's gaze attempted to bore right through her. He then reached for some glass orb, his eyes not leaving her at all. "Hold this." he ordered, shoving it into her paws, "Tell me if you see anything..." As soon as the orb was in her paws, Aeolus resisted the urge to let out a shriek, as her head felt like it would burst.

_A frozen city...a dragonish face within the ice..._

"_I see you...I will have your blood!"_

_Two dragons encased in stone...calling for help..._

_A woman standing alone in the remains of the city..._

_A shattered sword..._

_The ice dragon again..._

"_This kingdom...is MINE!"_

_It opened its jaws, lunging for her..._

Aeolus let out a scream and dropped the orb, causing it to roll towards Keye, the bright glow it had accumulated diminishing. Keye looked at Aeolus with a bored expression, knowing what had happened. "...Too bad..." he said dejectedly, not bothering to hide the dagger he had been holding now, "Now, just hold still...it'll be over fast." Aeolus stared at him, filled with terror. Despite this, she managed to look at him, the dagger, and the door, then crossed her short arms. Translation: Yeah right, Jack. She then quickly jumped off the seat as Keye slammed the dagger into it, missing her beautifully.

"Get her you fools!" Keye yelled angrily to Gate and Chain, who had been standing there like freaks. They then snapped out of whatever trance they had been in and went to restrain the Tsutarja, who really didn't feel like making life easy for them. She was small and fast enough to stand in-between the bumbling brothers, then run off and cause them to knock each other senseless, much to Keye's annoyance.

_Meanwhile..._

"You sure that a pickax will break the collars?" Drift inquired, as the Pokemon all ran to the supplies shack. "Well, an Everstone can't be destroyed by a Pokemon's attack..." Aile started, "But I don't think it can resist the force of a none-Element... Either way, there's medicine in the cabin, and Topaz needs it." Eventually, they all came close to the shack, which was being guarded by an Arbok and a Seviper. Thankfully, both snakes looked bored, clearly not expecting a revolt.

"I can't believe we're listening to you..." a Ralts said to Aile, fear present in his voice. "We'll be fine, Tory," Aile whispered back, "Cinnabar, you ready?" A nearby Ponyta nodded, lowering his head, preparing to bolt. "Three..." Aile started.

Cinnabar began kicking at the ground.

"Two..."

Cinnabar looked like he would go crazy if he didn't charge.

"One!"

Cinnabar let out a battle cry and ran right in front of the two snake Pokemon, snapping them out of their lazy haze. "What the?" the Arbok shrieked, right as Cinnabar made a u-turn, readying Ember. While the Arbok and Seviper were distracted by the crazy fire horse, the other Pokemon ran towards them, Chomper and Ram ( unfortunately for the snakes) in front, while Luna followed closely, jumping up and using Helping Hand.

BAM!

The Arbok and Seviper fell to the ground, too focused on how much their heads hurt to even wonder what just happened. They never got the chance to do so either, as the supposedly weaker Pokemon had managed to drag them into a nearby 'alley' and leave them there. When they would eventually wake up and regain their senses, well, they wouldn't be too happy with what they'd find, but that's another situation entirely.

"I should be able to move the lock with my psychic powers..." Tory offered, but that offer was shot down when Chomper and Ram did what they did best, breaking the door into pieces, making Luna wonder if she overdid it with the Helping Hands. "Yeah!" the Chimchar cried. "Now that's what I call using your head..." Lia mused, as she and the others all ran in.

_Meanwhile..._

"Incompetent fools..." Keye grumbled, as Gate and Chain continued to make fools of themselves, while chasing after Aeolus. Fed up with the chaos, Keye jumped at Aeolus and managed to catch her by her tail. He then pinned her to the ground, holding the dagger to her chest. "It's nothing personal..." he started, "But the Queen can't afford to let you live..." He then raised the dagger, ready to bring it down upon her...

"Oh no!" Gate and Chain suddenly cried.

"Oh yeah!" a Monferno cried, as he smashed through the window and tackled Gate.

"What the?" Keye growled, as the Monferno quickly punched him, getting him to let go of Aeolus and subsequently, drop the dagger. It didn't take long for the shark-dragon to throw the fire monkey against the wall. "Bah!" Keye yelled, "Foolish weakling..." he then glared at Aeolus, "I'll get to you once I'm done with him..." He then readied Dragon Rush, when the ground started shaking. "Huh?" Chain cried, "What's going on?" That question was soon answered when a very angry Rampardos and Bastiodon smashed through the wall, numerous Pokemon following.

"Good going!" Lia cried, now a Lucario. Chomper and Ram only nodded, zeroing in on Gate and Chain, who looked terrified, to say the least. Aile, still a Charmander, walked in front of them all. "We're through doing what you tell us to do!" he cried, "We're here to defeat you Keye! And eventually, your Queen!" Drift, now a Croconaw, walked beside his friend. "And he means it." he said bluntly, patting Aile on the back. The Monferno ran to them afterwards.

Keye watched the group with disdain. "So you're going to pummel me and my guards, I assume?" he scoffed, "Your ways are so savage..." Gate and Chain nodded vigourously. "You can talk!" Aeolus cried, whilst hiding under the desk. Keye glared at her, while a Grovyle stared at her with an amused expression. She glared back at both.

Saying nothing, Keye again readied Dragon Rush, before charging at the group. Luna, now an Umbreon, promptly started abusing Helping Hand once more. Aile readied Metal Claw again. "CHARGE!" he cried, doing just that, the other Pokemon following. Gate and Chain both screamed and jumped out of the window, the Monferno and some other Pokemon giving chase.

"Cowards!" Keye yelled angrily, as he smacked Aile off to the side, and slammed Chomper hard with Dragon Rush, sending the dinosaur back. He wasn't able to ready another attack quick enough to counter Ram's Take Down, however, and ended up pinned against the wall. Lia peeked over the large crest Ram had for a head, charging Aura Sphere. Keye growled and managed to slash Ram in the face with Dragon Claw, but was hit with the Aura Sphere. Nonetheless, he had gotten back up and attacked both with Dragon Rush, also attempting to send Drift flying, but the crocodile chose to Bite him.

While Keye struggled to get Drift to let go, Aile was busy trying to coax Aeolus out from under the desk. "What do you want?" Aeolus cried, not at all wanting to get involved. "I'm here to rescue you!" Aile cried.

"I had it under control!"

"I could tell... Now please, come out!"

"No!"

Drift suddenly got thrown across the room, smashing into the desk and breaking a good portion of it. A stray Acid attack from a young Arbok then finished it off. Aeolus blinked for a moment, trying to comprehend what just happened. "Fine... I give in..." she conceded, finally realizing the desk was now deceased, and she had nowhere else to hide. "Good," Drift said bluntly, his body aching slightly, "Now, can you fight?"

He was met with silence, aside from the racket the fighting was making.

"...OH COME ON!"

Aeolus couldn't stop the sheepish grin from creeping upon her face. "I...really don't know how..." she said truthfully, her voice indicating very wounded pride. "Aile, you handle this..." Drift groaned, "I gotta get back in there!" He then charged back to assist the Pokemon against Keye, who seemed to be the only evil Pokemon here who was worth the fear he earned from everyone.

"Aeolus, it's not that hard..." Aile tried to explain, "Think. Is there any attack that comes to mind?" The Arbok that had accidentally destroyed the desk came flying over the two, smashing into the wall, knocked out. Aeolus' left eye twitched at this, but she shrugged it off and listened to Aile. She then looked rather pale. "Unless I have an insane amount of luck, Tackle's not going to do anything..." she said bluntly.

"Well...it's something."

Aeolus let out a sigh as Aile pulled out a small pickax and broke the collar around her neck. He then dropped it, readied Metal Claw, and got back into the fight. Aeolus then chose to stare at the ceiling for a few seconds. "Why me...?" she whined, before running into the fight, not expecting it to end well at all. Since when has anything gone well since she woke up, anyway?

Chomper slammed Keye with Zen Head-butt, only for Keye to fight back with Dragon Rush again, this time knocking the dinosaur out. "C-Chomper!" Lia cried, "No!" She then fired Dragon Pulse at Keye, hitting him fairly hard. Growing desperate, he readied Giga Impact. Aeolus took notice and then saw a Shelgon readying Head-butt. "Hey!" Aeolus cried, "Come here for a second!" The Shelgon looked at her like she was crazy, but ran to her anyway. "What is it?" he cried, "Can't you see he's about to destroy us?"

"Look! Don't you want to fly?"

"Well, yeah... Wait!"

The Shelgon let out a scream as Ram suddenly launched him towards Keye. "Get him Sandy!" Ram cried, before looking at Aeolus, "Smart little whippersnapper, aren't you?" Sandy screamed as he 'flew', but readied Head-butt again, slamming Keye hard and canceling his attack before it was fully charged. Sandy then jumped off Keye, whose right leg was twitching awkwardly. A female Gabite approached him soon after. "This is for my brother!" she yelled, before slamming him with Double Chop, effectively knocking him out. She then turned her back on him and walked away.

There was a very long silence as the Pokemon gathered their thoughts. Aile allowed a grin to creep upon his face. "We've won!" he cried, "Free at last!" The other Pokemon chose to cheer loudly in response to this. "Yeah!" the Monferno suddenly cried, peeking through the window, along with the other Pokemon that had chased, and obviously defeated Gate and Chain. Those Pokemon also joined in on the cheering.

"Well, I hate to kill the mood and all..." Aeolus suddenly spoke up, "But now what're we supposed to do?" The Pokemon stopped cheering and looked at her, realization dawning on them. "I think I know where we can go..." the Gabite replied, "There's a large city within the mountains that none of the Queen's forces have been able to reach, as it is said to be protected by the Legendary Pokemon Dialga and Palkia."

"Ah, that sounds wonderful... Why do I have this strange feeling getting to the mountains won't be easy?"

"The way there is indeed dangerous... From where we are now, we'd have to go through several Mystery Dungeons to reach Temporal Pass, and to anyone who doesn't know what a Mystery Dungeon is... It's a place that changes every time you enter it. The Pokemon that live in these dungeons are also very treacherous. They'll attack you with no regard."

"They sound very hospitable..."

"At any rate," Aile spoke up, "It's our best bet, isn't it, Sharon?" The Gabite nodded. "Then I say we lock these guys up, stock up on supplies, and head on out!" Chomper, now recovered, cried.

"Crude... But you're right."

"Of course I am! This head is good for more than just ramming into stuff! No offense, Ram."

"None taken." Ram said bluntly. Without any other words, the Pokemon all left the demolished room, a few dragging Keye and his henchmen off to the cells.

_Later..._

"Tory, can you please explain how you managed to fit all _that_ into the bag?" Storm shrieked, both amazed and horrified. "It is a gift..." the Kirlia answered bluntly, looking at the Vibrava, "I used to be a waiter before I was taken here, you know! Do you have _any_ idea just how much leftovers customers bring home?"

"No, and I don't want to. But at least you're efficient..."

"Of course I am! My job was efficiency, dang it!"

While Tory continued to freak, everyone else had also filled the bags for their respective 'teams' with supplies, and were more or less ready to go into the great blue yonder. Especially the Monferno. He was the definition of ready. Come to think of it, no one even knows his name. Let's just call him Fred until we find out what his name is.

"Aeolus, I was wondering if you could..." Aile started, but the Tsutarja promptly cut him off. "I don't do favours!" she cried.

"...lead our team..."

"That I _can_ do." _'Hopefully...'_

"Thank you." _'Drift is gonna end me...'_

"Whatever."

Aeolus then grabbed their bag and swung it over her neck, letting out a sigh. Drift stared at Aile in disbelief, wondering why his friend elected Aeolus as leader of their team. Better yet, why Sharon, who would be traveling with _them_, approved. He didn't have to wonder why Aeolus agreed, however. He said nothing though, as the Pokemon all began to walk out of the area and into the desert outside. Aeolus' 'team' was in front, which seeing how Sharon was the one who seemed to have the most experience with where they were going, it made sense.

"A few miles ahead is the entrance to the first Mystery Dungeon," Sharon spoke up as they all marched onward, "It's ravaged by Sandstorms relentlessly. They won't affect me, so I can be your eyes if it gets really bad..." Aeolus only gave a brief nod to show that she had heard. Sharon said nothing else. Aile managed to take the necklace from the bag as he swiftly traversed the sand, Aeolus acknowledging it, but saying nothing. Aile looked at the pendant for a long while, before putting it back in the bag, Aeolus taking a quick look over her shoulder. She then turned her attention back in front.

In a few hours, they had reached the entrance...

Note: Yay for not-so-cliffhangers! I just chose to stop it there because I didn't want to end up splitting another chapter again.


	3. Battling 101

Note: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo ( hurry up and announce the next Mystery Dungeon games, dang it!). I do own the characters in here ( especially Aeolus, Aile, and Drift; use THEM without permission and face the wrath of my Deoxys!). Also, at the request of Garchomp Queen, I have compiled a list of all the Pokemon introduced in this story thus far ( including ones which have not been named yet). It's at the bottom of this chapter, if you wish to view it. Anyways...

Chapter 3: Battling 101.

"Here we are..." Sharon started, as the wind began to pick up fiercely, "Grey Desert..." Aeolus wasn't very enthusiastic about going into the desert, but she kept that to herself. "Very quaint." she said bluntly. "Yeah!" Fred cried...from...somewhere. Storm, Tory, and Topaz stared at him dumb struck, wondering why they got stuck with him in the first place.

"Shall we get moving?" the Arbok spoke up, her voice filled with uncertainty. Sandy, Cinnabar, and Ram seemed to agree with her question. Sharon looked at Aeolus, who nodded and started walking into the Mystery Dungeon, swallowing back the lump in her throat.

_Grey Desert, Floor 1..._

Aeolus struggled to keep her eyes open as they were almost instantly battered by a Sandstorm. Being a Grass type, the sand didn't hurt her very badly, but she was almost certain Aile was really hurting from it. Nonetheless, she continued walking, determined to not let anything get to her...

"AGH!"

So Aeolus screamed when she managed to trip over something in the sand. Aile and Sharon blinked, while Drift rolled his eyes as best he could. Getting up, Aeolus could vaguely make out the thing she had tripped on. Namely, a pretty angry Larvitar. "Uh... Hello there?" Aeolus said sheepishly, scrambling to her feet as the wild Pokemon attempted to ram its head into her head. She managed to get out of the way, and tried Tackling it, though all it earned her was an aching body and an even more angry Larvitar, who didn't seem fazed by the attack.

"YAH!" Sharon shouted, attacking the Larvitar with Sand Tomb and knocking it out before it could ready another attack. Aeolus regained her senses, rubbing her neck. "...Thanks..." she muttered lowly, returning to the task at hand. Sharon sighed slightly, but said nothing.

_Grey Desert, Floor 2..._

Aile slashed the Sandshrew with Metal Claw while Drift made short work of a Trapinch with Water Gun. Aeolus, who was certain that if there was a Legendary Pokemon of Luck, they hated her, was stuck fighting a Skorupi. Sharon had accidentally triggered a Warp Trap prior to this, and was most likely wandering around, looking for her teammates.

Aeolus attempted to use Leer on the Skorupi, hoping that the move might give her some kind of edge against it. It did seem slightly intimidated by the move, but that didn't stop it from trying to Poison Sting her. She promptly ducked, the attack clipping her slightly, then she Tackled the scorpion, hurting it a little. Drift immediately Bit the Skorupi, and threw it off into the nearby wall, knocking it out. "Happy now?" he inquired, looking at Aeolus. "Shut up." was the response.

"Hey! Be nice to your partners!"

_Grey Desert, Floor 3..._

Aeolus stared at the Dunsparce. For whatever reason, it stared back. Aile watched the whole ordeal, wondering if he should help her, Drift had an expression that said 'This is painful', while Sharon just flat-out looked dumb struck. The Tsutarja seemed determined to actually knock a Pokemon out, probably to prove that she wasn't weak.

"Was she this ridiculous as a human?" Drift said to himself. The sound of a Pokemon Tackling another could be heard, and for some reason, Aeolus was screaming. She then crashed into the sand, nearly getting buried. "Holey cow, that did not just happen!" Drift cried, "She got clobbered by a Dunsparce! A DUNSPARCE!"

Screaming in rage, Aeolus jumped out of the sand, and ran towards the Dunsparce, readying Tackle. "I'll get you for that!" she yelled, Tackling the darn thing, before somehow managing to slam it into the wall. It seemed oblivious to the whole ordeal, and fainted. "Did that just happen?" Drift questioned, "The Sandstorm is really thick here..."

_Grey Desert, Floor 4..._

Aeolus resisted the urge to scream as the four Pokemon pursued her throughout the floor. Like Sharon had on an earlier floor, Aeolus had fallen victim to a Warp Trap, and happened to land in the middle of these Pokemon, who used to be asleep. Needless to say, they were very mad that there was a trespasser, and were even more mad that she had dared to interrupt their sleep.

Aeolus ran down a 'hallway' in hopes the Pokemon would give up the chase. They didn't, and she had run into a dead-end. "What did I do to deserve this?" she whimpered, as the Pokemon closed in on her. The Pupitar was the one to approach her, ready to attack. Mustering up a defeatist attitude, Aeolus attempted to throw her short arms in front of her face to brace herself, feeling something grow out of her body and throw itself in front. She opened her eyes, seeing a shocked Pupitar trapped in a Vine Whip.

"Whoa, did I do that?" Aeolus inquired, before her old attitude returned, "Ha! Take that!" She then mustered up as much strength as she could, and threw the Pupitar at the other Pokemon, flattening them slightly. She then ran past them and into the open room, as they got up. Ignoring the Sandstorm battering her, she attacked the Pupitar with Vine Whip, only for it to manage to spin and send her flying. However, she was lucky enough for the vines to not go back into her body, so the Pupitar went flying as well, and slammed into the wall, knocked out. Aeolus herself wasn't hurt very bad.

The other Pokemon looked at themselves, concerned that the strongest one in their group had been defeated. Aeolus didn't really give them much of a chance to do anything, finding Vine Whip a rather useful move at the moment. Needless to say, she somehow managed to defeat them all, just in time for Drift to find her and subsquently, stare dumb struck at what he saw before him.

_Grey Desert, Floor 5..._

Sharon shielded Aeolus and Aile with the 'blades' on her arms, as the Sandstorm had gotten even stronger on this floor. Drift had his clawy hand in front of his eyes, in an attempt to protect them. All but Sharon looked very wounded from the Sandstorm, as well as the battles they had done on this floor. "I see the Staircase up ahead!" Sharon suddenly cried, carefully walking to it. The four Pokemon then went up the Staircase, hoping the other teams were okay.

_Later, that evening..._

"I never want to go in there again..." Aeolus groaned, her small legs giving way. She promptly curled up in a near-ball on the rocky terrain, Aile and Drift looking at her curiously. She ignored them. "Yeah!" Fred suddenly cried, apparently agreeing with Aeolus. Storm, Tory, and Topaz backed away from him, having had to endure him throughout the entire dungeon ( he never fell victim to any traps for some reason or another, so they were always stuck with him).

"We should rest for a short while," Sharon spoke up, "The entrance to the next dungeon isn't too far away, but the dungeon itself is longer than the previous." The other Pokemon nodded, all of them looking tired. Chomper and Ram were the only ones who weren't lying down. "Smashing some rocks nearby won't attract any attention, will it?" Chomper asked.

"It might startle the wild Pokemon in the first few floors of the dungeon, but they won't come out..."

"Okay, good!"

Chomper and Ram then ran off to smash some nearby rocks. Lia looked at Sandy. "So...isn't Ram a bundle of fun?" she inquired. "He scares me..." Sandy answered truthfully, as the two dinosaurs smashed at least ten rocks each, before walking back to their respective teams and laying down. Everyone but Sharon stared at them briefly. They then turned their attention to the sun, which was setting, creating a beautiful glow of red, orange, and yellow, as the dark blue sky slowly surfaced with the stars and the pure white moon.

"Oh!" Aile suddenly cried, shaking Aeolus, who was somehow nearly sound asleep, "Look at the sunset Aeolus!" The disgruntled Eastern dragon opened her eyes and glared at the salamander for a moment, before looking at the sunset. "Isn't it beautiful?" Aile inquired. "Sure it is..." Aeolus replied, "But the sun sets every day... What's so special about this?"

"It's hard to appreciate things like this when you can never see it long enough. Things like this may not seem extraordinary, but we can't take them for granted. Beauty and importance can be found in the simplest things. Nothing is without some kind of value. Everything happens and exists for a reason."

"You're oddly poetic..."

Aile shook his head for a moment. "...You claim you were once human. Don't you think there's probably a reason you became a Pokemon?" he inquired. "It was probably just some accident. Either that or I'm going insane... Why? What do you think?" Aeolus shot back.

"I believe Christos sent you."

"Christos? Who's that supposed to be?"

"He is the Son of the world's Creator."

Aeolus didn't respond right away, staring at the stars, which now ruled the sky. Aile was surprised to see her looking so calm. "That name seems familiar somehow..." Aeolus finally said, "Anyway, I know we were having such a wonderful chat, but I can't stay awake any longer..." Aile only nodded. "That's fine..." he replied, yawning himself. Both Pokemon then laid down, the others having done so before hand.

_Somewhere else..._

A shadowy figure swiftly ran through the frozen streets of the city, taking care not to slip. It then approached the entrance of a large, stone tower. The figure then removed the hood to the cloak that had been hiding her identity, revealing herself to be a Zoroark. She then reached into one of her pockets, pulling out what appeared to be the hilt to a sword. She examined it for a long while, as if she was trying to see through it. Sighing, she put the hilt back into the pocket and looked up at the tower, before running into the entrance.

Note: Yes, that is seriously all I could think of. XD Hope you liked it regardless.

_THE LIST OF AWESOME_ ( can't I have a little fun? :P):

It works like this: Species – Name

The list is in no order whatsoever ( but I tried to keep it as orderly as possible XD). I also will give 'extra' info in cases where there is more than one of a certain Pokemon.

Tsutarja – Aeolus

Charmander – Aile

Croconaw – Drift

Manectric – Topaz

Lucario – Lia

Vibrava – Storm

Monferno – Fred

Umbreon – Luna

Rampardos – Chomper

Bastiodon – Ram

Kirlia – Tory

Rapidash – Cinnabar

Arbok (the one that killed the desk) – Violet

Shelgon – Sandy

Grovyle – Ranger

Pikachu – Kari

Gabite (good one) – Sharon

Gabite (evil one) – Gate

Gabite (evil) – Chain

Garchomp – Keye

Persian – Slash

Arbok (the one guarding the shack) – Crush

Seviper – Snap

Dunno why I bothered naming the last two. *shrugs* Also, not all of these Pokemon are here to stay, so to speak. Some we'll probably never see again...


	4. Dreams and Tunnels

Note: Do I honestly look like I own Pokemon? On another note, I did skip a lot of floors for the dungeon in this chapter. Why? Didn't feel like repeating myself over and over, as this dungeon is longer than the last one. Don't expect this to change any time soon.

Chapter 4: Dreams and Tunnels.

_A seemingly endless void..._

_...Am I...am I dreaming?_

_There's a figure standing not far off..._

_Is it speaking to me?_

_What do you want?_

_I have honestly no idea what you're trying to say..._

_A sword? Yeah, I saw one. What of it?_

_Come again?_

_Hey! Where're you going? Come back!_

_WAHHH!_

"Aeolus, WAKE UP!" Aile cried, "Everyone else is getting antsy!" Aeolus' red eyes snapped open and she stared at the Charmander for a brief second. "Not my fault they're impatient." she retaliated once she had her thoughts together. Aile sighed, handing her the bag. "Sharon says the next dungeon is a tunnel through the mountain that separates the desert from a forest..." he informed her. "Sounds like fun." she responded, swinging the bag around her neck.

"Quite." Drift piped in. Aeolus looked at him, but decided to say nothing. Sharon walked up to them. "Is everyone ready?" she inquired, as the other 'teams' watched impatiently.

"Yeah, we're ready."

"Good."

The other Pokemon promptly bolted down the pathway towards the entrance of the Mystery Dungeon. Sharon blinked, rubbing her head while grinning sheepishly. "Heh..." she muttered. Aeolus then walked in front, a smug grin on her face which for some reason Drift wanted to wipe clean off. Aile and Sharon took no notice. Aeolus then walked towards the entrance, the other three following.

_Bronze Tunnel, Basement Floor 1..._

Aeolus looked to the left, then to the right, seeing only a sleeping Bronzor in the room. Deciding that it would be best to just leave it alone, she walked into the room, keeping her distance from it, before stepping on a trap, which for some reason did nothing. Aeolus blinked for a moment, wondering why it didn't work. As she stood there stupidly, Chestnuts suddenly fell from somewhere, braining her on the head. "Ouch." Drift said bluntly, as Aeolus was too busy rubbing her head to say anything of the sort.

After a few seconds, Aeolus recovered and continued walking, promptly stepping on a Pitfall Trap. She let out a scream which woke up the Bronzor as she fell to the next floor. Aile blinked, then walked off to blast the angry Bronzor with Ember while Drift and Sharon called out to the team leader, asking if she was okay, only to get this response:

"DO YOU THINK I'M OKAY?"

"I'm going down there," Drift said bluntly, "I don't trust her alone." He then jumped down through the hole. "Look out below!" he cried, and Aeolus was more than happy to oblige, getting as far away from his landing spot as possible. Drift then looked back up at Sharon. "Come on you guys!" he cried, "The weather's great!" Sharon sighed as Aile ran to her, having defeated the Bronzor. The two then jumped down the hole.

_Bronze Tunnel, Basement Floor 2..._

Aeolus blinked at the three. "What an entrance." she scoffed, before walking out of the room and into a hallway, the other three following. Turns out, a Geodude was also traveling down that hallway. Aeolus managed to bring it down with Vine Whip before it got a chance to Tackle her, however. She then continued onward, making it to another room, which another Bronzor and a Hippopotas were also walking into. The wild Pokemon took notice of the intruders, watching them carefully. The 'intruders' chose to approach.

Aile went in to strike the Bronzor with Ember, but was hit with Sand Attack, courtesy of the Hippopotas. He stopped his attack, trying to rub the sand out of his eyes. The Bronzor readied an attack as Drift fired Water Gun at it, while Aeolus attacked the hippo Pokemon with Vine Whip, Sharon readying Double Chop for a moment. Once Aeolus retracted the vines, she finished it off. Aeolus at this point had run off to lower the Bronzor's defenses with Leer, as there wasn't much else she could really do to help. Drift then finished it off with Bite, as Aile managed to get the sand out of his eyes.

"Are you alright?" Sharon inquired. "Yeah, I'm fine..." Aile replied, as they started walking into another hallway. Aeolus looked at Aile worriedly for a second, but looked away before anyone could see. They then reached the Staircase, and went down it.

_Bronze Tunnel, Basement Floor 5..._

The four Pokemon stood back-to-back as the large group of wild Pokemon approached them menacingly, having been lying in wait for any intruders. In other words, this was what you and I would know as a Monster House, or better yet, the 'Torture Chamber'.

Aeolus attacked a Geodude with Vine Whip, and managed to throw it at an Onix, though it didn't do much against the rock snake. Aile slashed another Geodude with Metal Claw, and it Tackled him back. Drift sprayed and knocked out another Geodude with Water Gun, as well damaging a Bronzor. Sharon attacked the Bronzor with Double Chop, managing to knock it out before it could ready an attack. The fight didn't really stay orderly for long, as the wild Pokemon decided to go for the kill, very enraged.

Aeolus let out a shriek and fired Vine Whip at the Onix as it tried to Tackle her. She managed to stop it, but wasn't strong enough to hold it in place for long. Before it got free, however, Aile slashed it with Metal Claw, and Sharon finished it off with Sand Tomb. Drift continued to spray every Pokemon but his allies with Water Gun, knocking every single Geodude close to him, and severely damaging others that got too close.

Another Onix promptly Wrapped itself around Aile, squeezing him. Aile let out a cry of pain as his tiny body was crushed between the hard stone body of his captor. "A-Aile!" Aeolus cried in horror, attacking the Onix with Vine Whip, "Let him go!" It didn't wish to oblige, giving a quick swing with its neck, sending Aeolus flying into the wall. "Go help those kids!" Drift cried to Sharon, as he Scratched a Hippopotas to finish it off. Sharon nodded and jumped at the Onix with Double Chop readied, then slashed it across the face with the attack. It roared in pain and uncoiled enough for Aile to slip out, then it attempted to slam Sharon into the ground with its tail.

"OH YEAH!"

"What...?" Sharon muttered, looking upward as a Pitfall Trap had been activated above them, Fred falling through it and landing smack on the Onix's head. Storm, Tory, and Topaz jumped after him, also landing on the Onix. Fred then randomly blasted it with Ember, knocking it out. "Mind if we drop in?" Topaz asked with a grin. The Manectric then proceeded to use Spark on a Bronzor, her team-mates also joining in on the fight.

Aeolus let out a groan as she got up, her body aching all over. Aile had walked over to her, clutching his side. The only wild Pokemon facing them was a Cranidos. It didn't last very long against the combined attacks of Vine Whip and Metal Claw, however. Eventually, both teams had defeated the wild Pokemon and were on their merry ( separate) way.

_Bronze Tunnel, Basement Floor 9..._

"I take back what I said about the desert..." Aeolus panted as she continued walking down the hallway, "This place is worse. I don't think I can survive another ambush like that..." Aile only nodded in agreement. "If you say so," Drift spoke up, "Three Monster Houses is nothing compared to other Mystery Dungeons, or so I've heard. Sharon told me some have way more than that."

"...You sure know how to brighten my day."

"Always here to help."

"Don't get scared, but we're being followed by a Cranidos," Sharon butted in, "It looks mad, as always." It then charged towards her with Take Down, and she countered with Sand Tomb, and Drift finished it with Water Gun. With that, the four Pokemon walked to the Staircase and went down it, finally leaving the dungeon.

_Later..._

"I never thought I'd see a forest again..." the Grovyle said to himself, "Or anything other than endless desert, for that matter." He smiled as he took in his surroundings, feeling at home. "Yes, indeed Ranger!" the Pikachu added, a huge grin on her face. The other Pokemon seemed very happy as well. Especially Fred, but I'm sure you guys already knew that.

"Are you hungry, Aeolus?" Aile inquired, offering an apple, "You didn't eat anything yesterday..." The green dragon looked at him quizzically. "Why would you care?" she asked, almost harshly.

"I don't need any special reason to care about about anyone... I just do."

Aile continued to hold the apple up. "Can you answer 'Yes' or 'No'?" he inquired. Aeolus let out a sigh. "...Yes..." she said quietly, taking the apple, "...Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Aile then opted to look at the clouds in the sky with admiration, while Aeolus slowly ate the sweet fruit. After a few seconds, Aile reached into their bag, pulling out a berry. He then popped it into his mouth and chewed slowly as he searched for the necklace. Eventually, he found it and pulled it out, admiring it for awhile.

"You seem obsessed with that pendant..." Aeolus spoke up, after swallowing some of the apple. "It was given to me by my parents before they..." Aile started, pausing for a moment, "...passed on. They told me this pendant was special..."

"I...see... I'm sorry..."

"There's nothing for you to be sorry about... If you want, you can see the pendant."

Aile held the pendant out for Aeolus to see, much to her surprise. It was pure gold and was shaped like a Luxray standing on its hind-legs, its teeth and front claws barred, ready to attack. Its only visible eye was made from a small ruby that glittered.

"That's very pretty," Aeolus complimented, which was slightly odd, "Whoever made it must've been really good..." Aile nodded in agreement, putting the necklace away. "Anyway, we should be getting to sleep now..." he told her.

"Agreed..."

Both Pokemon then laid down, quickly falling asleep.

Note: I hope this didn't bore you... If it did, please tell me how I can improve it, and I promise the story will get better. I'm doing my best. Now, since this page on my word document just looks way too blank... Picture this: Aeolus, Aile, Drift, and Sharon doing the Caramelldansen dance...thing...

...O.O' Okay...maybe that's too weird... Uh...see you next chapter?


	5. I Hate Weedles

Note: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo. The characters in here belong to me...

Chapter 5: I Hate Weedles...

"Everybody wake up!" the Pikachu cried, her fur crackling with electricity, "It's sunrise! We gotta go! ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!" Ranger let out a groan as he opened his eyes and sat up. "Kari, please..." he sighed, rubbing his head, "You don't have to yell..."

"YES I DO!"

"Aiyeh..."

The Arbok uncoiled her body, looking at the two. "Is it me or is Kari becoming a personal alarm clock?" she questioned. "It's everyone in their right mind, Violet." Ram replied, as he got up.

"Good. Just checking."

"Yeah!" Fred cried...from...behind...someone. Everyone else just ignored him, not feeling the need to give the fire monkey any attention whatsoever. As the other Pokemon began getting ready for the next dungeon, Drift chose to wake up his teammates, who amazingly slept through Kari's wake up call. He nudged Sharon slightly, and her eyes flickered open. As the dragon-shark stretched and got on her feet, Drift chose to grab both Aeolus and Aile by the scruffs of their necks and walk around with them. When the two Pokemon woke up, Aile looked dumb struck, to say the least, while Aeolus was absolutely mortified.

"Put me down!" the Tsutarja shrieked in pure rage and horror, "UNHAND ME THIS INSTANT!" Drift smirked at the grass dragon's screaming and kicking, while Aile watched in such a horrified manner, that one would think he had seen Mr. Hyde. "Fine, Princess," Drift said almost mockingly, "Have it _your_ way..." He then let go of both Aeolus and Aile, causing the two to land with a near thud. When they both stood up, he had already walked off to where Sharon was standing.

"At any rate..." Sharon spoke up, "The entrance to the next dungeon isn't far off. It shouldn't give us much trouble. Is everyone ready?" Aeolus got the bag around her neck and nodded, as did the other Pokemon. They all then walked to the entrance, ready to start yet another terribly exciting dungeon trek.

_Jade Forest, Floor 1..._

Aeolus and Aile both stared at Chikorita that seemed adamant about battling them both. The whole situation gave new meaning to the term 'Pick on someone your own size' in more ways than one. Drift and Sharon chose to watch the stare-down in interest. The Chikorita narrowed its eyes, trying in vain to look fierce...

...and Growled.

Aeolus rolled her eyes, narrowed them dangerously, weakening the Chikorita's defenses with Leer, before Tackling the grass dinosaur. Aile then slashed it with Metal Claw before it got a chance to counter. The poor thing was knocked out. "That was horrible..." Aeolus sighed, looking very unamused, but inside, she did not feel good about what just happened. She then continued walking through the dungeon, while Drift simply asked, "Does anyone need a hug?" Sharon looked at him funny, Aile grinned, and Aeolus flat-out ignored him.

_Jade Forest, Floor 3..._

"Hey!" Drift cried angrily as a Bulbasaur ensnared him with Vine Whip, "Let me go or I'll Bite!" The Bulbasaur considered its options carefully, then let out a cry, which caused a Chikorita, a Caterpie, and a Stantler to come running, and subsequently attack the poor crocodile. For some odd reason, a Weedle came running as well, with a look that showed just how hard it was trying to look fierce. Even the Chikorita from before did a better job.

"Should we help him?" Aile asked, and Sharon seemed to share the idea. "Nah..." Aeolus replied, crossing her short arms, "He can handle it himself." Aile and Sharon both stared at her, but didn't question. Either way, those wild Pokemon learned a very valuable lesson that day: Never make a Croconaw angry. It's not worth it.

_Jade Forest, Floor 5..._

"Stupid Weedle..." Aeolus whimpered with a tear in her eye, holding her tail very protectively while rubbing the leaf-tip, which was throbbing from having been stung. Aile looked at her in sympathy, while Drift remained as quiet about it as possible ( he found the whole thing hilarious, but Sharon had glared at him when he snickered about it earlier; he figured she was mad or something).

As Aeolus continued walking in the awkward manner she was, she came across a sleeping Weedle, which didn't make her situation any better. She yelped and jumped into Aile's not-so-waiting arms, surprising the shiny Charmander a lot, to say the least. The Weedle was thankfully still asleep. Sharon walked over to it and randomly Double Chopped it, KO'ing it instantly without it knowing it had even been KO'ed. Most likely, when it wakes up, it won't ever know.

The danger now taken care of, Aeolus let go of Aile, glared at him ferociously, then walked away. Aile blinked stupidly, but followed her anyway. Drift snickered at this, and Sharon saw it fit to slap him, showing once and for all that Dragon Pokemon still take action when ticked off, no matter how nice and gentle they may be.

_Jade Forest, Floor 9..._

"Aeolus, before you say anything..." Drift started, as the wild Pokemon surrounded the four sane Pokemon, "I don't see any Weedles whatsoever. Except for that one behind you." Aeolus let out a shriek and slammed the unfortunate Caterpie behind her with Vine Whip, then Tackled it to kingdom come. "Oops," Drift joked, "That was a Caterpie..." Aeolus gave him a 'If looks could kill' expression.

Ignoring the two, Aile blasted as many of the Grass and Bug Pokemon with Ember as he could, while Sharon Double Chopped a Bayleef which dared to Tackle her. Aeolus, slightly recovered from Drift's 'joke', attacked a Stantler with Vine Whip, and Aile slashed it with Metal Claw. Drift fired Water Gun at every Pokemon but his teammates.

After a few minutes, all the Pokemon that had ambushed them had been defeated, and Drift picked up something from the ground. "Hey look!" he cried, holding up the item for all to see, "One Poke!" His teammates just stared at him dumb struck. Shortly afterwards, Aeolus then picked up something from the ground as well. "Ha!" she cried, "I found a _Stick_!" The looks on both the crocodile and the dragon's faces clearly said they both knew what they were doing was stupid.

_Jade Forest, Floor 11..._

Aeolus chewed on a Grass Gummi she had found rather nervously as she walked through the floor. Once again she had fallen victim to a Warp Trap, and was hoping beyond hope that she didn't run into any Weedles. Unfortunately for her, she had run into something much, much worse. Namely, Kakuna, and we all know where there's Kakuna, there is also...

Beedrills.

Aeolus nearly choked on the Gummi as she swallowed, the Beedrills staring at her menacingly. The grass dragon's left eye twitched uncontrollably, and she promptly bolted down the opposite direction, the bees with drills for paws giving chase.

"I wonder where Aeolus is..." Aile muttered worriedly as he led the team through the floor, "I hope she's...GAH!" Drift and Sharon watched dumb struck as Aeolus randomly ran out of a hallway and crashed into Aile. She then scrambled to her feet and ran off, screaming the whole way. "Well, we found her at least," Drift said bluntly as Aile slowly got up, "I wonder what got into her, though..." He noticed how pale Sharon looked, as a buzzing sound could be heard, growing in volume. Aile screamed and jumped into Drift's arms like Scooby-Doo does to Shaggy, while Sharon trembled uncontrollably. All three then screamed in unison, and ran in the direction Aeolus had run, as the Beedrills followed them furiously.

_Later..._

"I hate Weedles... I hate Kakuna... And I _really_ hate Beedrills..." Aeolus complained, rubbing her leaf-tip again. Ranger looked at her quizzically. He opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped when Kari let out her traditional shriek of excitement:

"HEY LOOK!"

All the other Pokemon turned their attention to what the electric mouse was looking at, and were surprised to see a Raichu, Blaziken, Empoleon, and Meganium marching through the forest, with an air of purpose and determination all around them. The Raichu stopped, and so did his teammates as they saw the large group of Pokemon. "...We're really late, aren't we?" the Raichu inquired, scratching his head in embarrassment.

"Who are you?" Ranger asked, walking cautiously towards the newcomers. The Raichu approached the Grovyle with a calm look on his face. "We're just a team of Freedom Fighters sent to liberate some Pokemon that were enslaved in the desert," he answered as if he just said the sky was blue, "But if I'm not mistaken... You guys took matters into your own hands?"

"You could say that..."

The Raichu's good-natured grin wavered when he saw the look on Ranger's face. "...We should've come sooner..." the electric mouse said, as if reading Ranger's mind, "I'm deeply sorry for those who lost someone dear..." Ranger shook his head. "Late or not..." he started, "You came... I guess it's good to know we weren't ignored and forgotten..."

"...Is there anything we can do?"

Sharon was the one to answer. "Did you come from Celestial City?" she asked. "Yes, we did," the Raichu promptly answered, "It's only three more Mystery Dungeons away -counting Temporal Pass, of course."

"Is it really guarded by Dialga and Palkia, like the rumours say?"

"Yes it is. The two get along so well."

"More like a bickering old couple..." the Blaziken piped in, feeling the need to add something to the discussion. The Empoleon and Meganium stared at him. "By the way..." the Meganium spoke up, "What did you do with the leader and their henchmen?" Chomper immediately answered, "We locked them up in the cells when we left."

"Then we should probably go and arrest them," the Empoleon added, "Just leaving them there with the slight chance of escape... We can't do that." His teammates nodded. "We probably should get going, then," the Raichu said, starting to walk off, looking at the now free Pokemon, "Before we go... I'm Raiden, and my teammates are Landon, Poseidon, and Ivy." With that, he dashed off, Landon and the others following suit.

"Well...that was interesting..." Aile muttered, looking at Aeolus, "It kind of inspires me in a way." Aeolus raised a 'brow arch at him. "How so?" she inquired.

"It inspires me to see Pokemon like them coming to liberate Pokemon like us... It gives me hope that the resistance against the Queen still goes strong. Keye always led us to believe it was getting weaker."

"And what if it is?"

"Then all it needs is to see us... To remind it of the suffering the Queen has inflicted, and that there are those who still believe she can be defeated."

"That reminds me... Who is this 'Queen'?"

"All we have is that name... Keye would not allow us to know her true name, or even what she was. But he always insisted that she could freeze us all to death in an instant if she wanted to, and that we should obey so that wouldn't happen..."

"...I may have lost my memory, but she obviously sounds like an Ice Pokemon, if she could do that. Which puts her on the top of my list of people I have no intention of meeting any time soon, if at all."

"You'll get no argument from me there... I don't want to ever meet her, but if I do, I won't run away. I'll stay and fight!"

"Even if it seems hopeless?"

"Even if."

Aeolus was silent for a long moment. While she was staring off into space, Aile covered his mouth as he yawned. "We should be getting to sleep..." he noted, as the moon now ruled the sky. Aeolus nodded and laid down, thinking to herself.

Note: And the cheesy character development continues! :D Hope you enjoyed this... Oh, and am I aware that Tsutarja's English name is Snivy, but rather than going back and erasing all traces of the Japanese name having been used, I'm going to make the name a small plot point. When that plot point comes, they'll be called Snivy. But not now.


	6. A Sparkling Lake

Note: If I owned Pokemon, I'd give it back to Nintendo. Why? *Because I'd rather not be responsible for its future with the fanbase whose maturity is difficult to tell (OMIGOSH THE POKAYMANZ LOOK LIKE DIGIMONZ). I do own the characters in here, however. :D Also, please excuse my not-so-good Ace Attorney reference. XD Never played the games...

*Written when the FanDumb was hatin' on the Black and White Pokemon everywhere. Not sure if this has calmed down or not (haven't bothered to check).

Chapter 6: A Sparkling Lake.

"Has anyone seen Kari?" Ranger asked worriedly, searching for the crazy Pikachu. "I haven't..." Tory replied, "She must have left without us..." Ranger opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by a rather high-pitched cry:

"OBJECTION!"

Tory screamed like a little girl as Kari seemingly jumped out of nowhere and tackled him. "The evidence against your claim is overwhelming!" she cried. "M-my back..." Tory groaned in pain. Kari then chose to jump on Ranger, effectively knocking him over, as she whammed him right in the face with her face. Aeolus watched this with a crooked grin as she threw the bag around her neck.

"Well...we better get going..." Sharon spoke up, sufficiently freaked, "The entrance to the dungeon is just up ahead." The other Pokemon got organized and they all walked into the entrance.

_Amethyst Lake, Floor 1..._

Aile cringed as the water reached up to his knees, touching his tail a little, but he grabbed it and kept the flame safe from being put out. Aeolus looked at him for a brief moment, wondering if there was another way to the city. After some thinking, she decided he could deal with it and go through the lake, albeit carefully. He had likely endured worse, anyway.

_Pop._

Aeolus blinked at the popping bubbles as they made contact with her skin. She then narrowed her eyes and looked in the direction of where the bubbles came from, seeing a rather smug Wooper. She stared at it long and hard, and a ball of plants rolled in between them like a tumbleweed. Finally, she slammed it with Vine Whip, then stormed off, grabbing Aile and dragging him along, as he was standing there stupefied. Drift and Sharon chose not to comment.

_Amethyst Lake, Floor 3..._

"Aile, fry that fish!" Drift commanded, as Aile had gotten attacked by a Goldeen. "F-fry it?" he sputtered, as the Goldeen continued spraying Water Gun into his mouth, "H-help me!" Aeolus had gotten lost somewhere, and Sharon was unable to help at the moment due to falling victim to a sleep gas trap. And Drift, well, he wasn't the best guy for encouragement.

"Don't worry Aile, I'm sure the water will evaporate when it enters your mouth! What kind of dragon are ya, anyway?"

"A pressured one!"

The Goldeen was beginning to think it had victory in the bag, and thus leaped at Aile, ready to stab him with its horn. Aile noticed this and struggled to get out of its way while protecting his fragile tail-flame, eyes wide with fear. At this point, Drift had decided things were getting too close for comfort and immediately slammed his tail into the Goldeen, sending it airborne.

_Somewhere else, in Amethyst Lake, Floor 3..._

"...Why do they always have to leave me behind?" Aeolus whined, unwilling to acknowledge that it was her own stupidity and arrogance that got her lost in the first place, "...And I'm getting hungry. Can this get any worse?" Before she got the chance to take back that statement, a Goldeen promptly slammed into her and they both fell face-first into the water.

Inhaling some of the fresh water slightly, Aeolus choked and began a coughing fit which barely lasted a minute. It wasn't going to kill her, but she was aware it would mess with her sinuses later, a fact that annoyed to her no end. At the very least, she could breathe again, but her nose felt uncomfortably moist because of the incident. She then glared at the source of her problems, the now unconscious Goldeen, and then her expression of annoyance morphed to one of bewilderment. Replaying the memory of what had taken place in her mind over and over, she finally screamed to high Heaven:

"OH FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD, WHAT HAPPENED?"

_Amethyst Lake, Floor 5..._

"Aeolus, are you catching a cold?" Drift asked casually, as Aeolus continued to sniffle and blow her nose furiously, "Or did you get creamed by an aerial Goldeen?" Aeolus gave him her best 'If looks could kill' expression, but he only laughed. "Shut. Up." Aeolus growled, gritting her teeth.

"Whatever you say, Princess."

"I mean it! Just shut up already!"

At this, the tiny Eastern dragon pounced on the larger crocodile and began smacking him furiously with her tiny paws. "...Keep going, Princess," Drift stated whilst chuckling at her pathetic attempts to hurt him, "You sure are showing me who's the boss in this establishment. I don't know what I would possibly do without your guidance." This only prompted her to hit harder, to no effect. "Just quit it!" she screamed, "You're making me angry!"

"Good to know, Prin-"

"Drift, Aeolus, that's _enough_," Sharon growled, claws extended as she looked at them both, "We are in this together, and fighting amongst each other will _not_ be tolerated. Have I made myself clear?" Aeolus slid off of Drift and walked away from him with a harrumph. "...Yeah, I think we get it..." Drift responded in a dull tone, looking unamused.

"Good."

Sharon opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by Fred:

"Yeah!"

With that, Fred ran off to rejoin his group, having gotten separated from them.

_Amethyst Lake, Floor 7..._

"...I don't like water that much, but I think this place is very pretty..." Aile stated, looking around the lake as they walked through it, "All this amethyst around really adds something..." he then looked downward, "The sunlight reflecting off the amethyst, especially underneath the water is so beautiful..." Aeolus shook her head. "Aile, we're not here to sightsee..." she groaned, sniffling afterwards.

"I know, but I just can't help admiring it... I've never seen anything like this before."

"It is very pretty, Aile," Sharon spoke up, "But I am a bit puzzled by something... Last I heard, this place had been tainted by the so-called Queen, yet shows no signs of it. Perhaps it was freed not too long ago," a small smile crept upon her muzzle, "That is very reassuring thought... This place's beauty...I'd hate to have seen it when it was frozen and the Queen's forces occupying it. This lake's freedom only adds to its beauty."

"...Wow, we're admiring _water_ now?" Aeolus inquired rather cynically, "And big shiny purple rocks, too... Honestly, isn't that a bit much? It's just...a...lake..." The other three stopped walking, causing Aeolus to crash into Drift's back and fall down onto her bottom. Drift then turned to face her, and instead of his usual teasing expression, gave her an almost hateful glare. "...Are all humans insensitive jerks like you?" he snapped, gritting his teeth, "You weren't in that fortress as long as we were, but you got a taste of what we endured while there. You should understand that our lives were miserable, almost _meaningless_."

"Oh will you stop overreacting? I was just-"

"No, Aeolus. Most of us had never seen the world outside that fortress beyond the desert! And if this place had once been under the Queen's control...the Pokemon here, the ones that are not wild and intelligent, were suffering! The area would've been too cold, and the Queen's forces would've forced the stronger ones into her army and either enslaved or eliminated the others! Do you understand?"

"...You don't have to yell about it... Sheesh. You really get upset over nothing!"

Drift clenched his fists, "If all humans are like you, then I can't say I miss them. Their disappearance doesn't mean anything, since it would seem that they had no value. Seems like they abandoned us. And if you really were a human, then a Tsutarja suits you just fine. I hear they're just as arrogant and weak!"

"...You! How dare you! What gives you the right to say that?"

"ENOUGH!" Sharon screamed at the top of her lungs, her claws glowing, "I already told you not to fight, but instead you find something bigger to argue about!" she turned to face Aeolus, "Listen to me carefully, little girl. Do_ not_ take things for granted; that's how we got in this mess in the first place. And don't you _ever_ show any disrespect towards those that have suffered by the Queen's hand again! Learn to keep things to yourself!" she then looked at Drift, "And this applies to you as well, Drift; do not disrespect an entire race because of one _brat_. And never, _ever_ speak like you know a lot about something, when in reality you know _nothing_!"

Aile backed away from the three, horror all over his face. Aeolus and Drift only nodded slowly, hoping the Gabite's anger would subside. After a few tense moments, the glow on Sharon's claws vanished and her breathing became calmer. "...I do not want to hear about this again, understood?" she asked firmly, and the three all nodded, "...Then do not bring it up."

With that, Sharon began walking again, allowing Aeolus to go in front. Though they weren't sure, the three thought they heard Sharon say one more thing, barely above a whisper:

"...They never abandoned you."

_Amethyst Lake, Final Floor..._

"...Whoa..." Aile breathed, as large chunks of amethyst surrounded the final part of the lake, the reflection dancing upon its surface. The other teams of Pokemon were staring in awe as well. "...Pretty..." Aeolus muttered, doing her best to hide her own wonder, "...Can we go now...?"

"...Fine."

The large group of Pokemon began to leave, when they heard giggling of all things. They stopped and looked at the lake, a pinkish glow rising up from it, before materializing into a Pokemon, and a very special one at that, too. This led Sharon, Drift, and Aile to cry out her name:

"...M-Mesprit!"

"...Who?" Aeolus inquired stupidly, her memory of the Mirage Pokemon's existence pretty much gone (if such a memory was ever there in the first place). "You mean you really don't know who she is?" Drift cried, his expression absolutely appalled. This only made Mesprit giggle even more. The other Pokemon stared blankly.

"Oh please, no formalities or whatever you're calling it now!" the fairy shouted, her voice both cheery and firm, "If she doesn't know me, it's fine. I wasn't exactly very great and powerful awhile ago," at that, she scratched the back of her head nervously, "I'd been frozen for quite some time, then a band of Pokemon calling themselves Freedom Fighters thawed me and this place out."

"If you don't mind my asking..." Aile started, "...How were you frozen in the first place? You're a legend!" Mesprit turned to him with a dwindling smile, her eyes reflecting a painful memory. "I was able to keep them at bay for awhile, but I had used up more of my energy than I should have, and my body grew too tired to continue fighting. The Queen herself came and struck me down during that moment of weakness. I should consider myself fortunate she did not take my life..." her expression turned even more grim, "...More than I can say for others..."

"...Is something wrong?"

"O-oh, nothing you need to concern yourself with right now... Just forget I said anything. But on to other matters... You are headed towards Celestial City, am I correct?"

"Yes, we are."

"There's only one more dungeon before you can reach Temporal Pass. It's very small, though, so I don't think you'll have much trouble."

"That's good news for me!" Tory cried out, "I don't know how much more of this I can handle!" Mesprit shook her head, but smirked slightly. "However, Temporal Pass may not be as easy." she said seriously.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"It was made by Dialga himself, to keep out those with darker hearts. While I'm sure all of you have hearts with pure intentions, the dungeon will still try to test you. Don't let fear or uncertainty cloud your judgment, and you should get through it in one piece. If you cannot do that, or any of you has a dark heart...the gate to Celestial City will not show itself to you."

Mesprit's gaze soon rested upon Aeolus. "Concern for you own wellbeing is not selfishness," she explained, her tone very firm, "But you must always have concern for the wellbeing of your team-mates. Do not wish to harm yourself for their sake, but be willing to do whatever it takes to keep them safe. You aren't worth anything to anyone if you constantly search for chances to throw your life away. That's not what a true friend would do. A true friend must be willing to put themselves in danger for the sake of those they care about, but also know when to protect _themselves_. You are not hollow; your life matters just as much as theirs. So if you must give it up...make sure what you lost it for will last. Otherwise, the sacrifice is wasted."

"...I really have no idea what you just said..." Aeolus groaned, having not been paying attention. "You will understand one day..." Mesprit replied, "In the world we are in today, you most certainly will find out what I mean. All of you most likely will. It is not something I celebrate; it is a harsh truth."

"Yeah yeah... Can we go now?"

"But of course... Farewell travelers. May we one day meet again."

With that, the group left the lake and soon came up to the side of the large mountain that housed Celestial City. "...It's hard to believe we're so close now..." Aile said as they all pitched in to make a campfire. "...I find it very exciting," Topaz said in response, "I never thought this day would come."

"I always believed it would..."

"Yeah!" Fred cried, randomly appearing behind Topaz.

"Heh, well, it looks like you have someone who agrees with you..." Topaz said with a crooked grin, "Isn't that nice?" Aile fought back a chuckle, but in the end started laughing, Topaz and Fred soon joining in.

Aeolus watched all of them from afar, choosing to stay as far away from Drift and Sharon, and everybody as she possibly could. She couldn't get the fight with Drift or what Mesprit said out of her mind, and frankly, she just wanted to be alone for now. She didn't want to bother thinking about those things, even though deep down she knew she should. But she shoved the thoughts into the back of her head and laid down near the small fire she had made, taking care not to touch it and burn herself.

After a good couple of minutes, Aeolus was drifting off to sleep, any sort of thought vanishing her mind. She opened her eyelids slightly in surprise when she felt something grip her paw, seeing Aile near her. She ignored him and went to sleep completely.

_Somewhere else..._

"Zelda!"

The cloaked Zoroark came through the doorway and into the frozen throne room, and if her face had been visible, no one would've been able to tell just what she was thinking, as her expression was completely unreadable. "You called, my Queen?" she asked, her voice even more deadpan than her expression. The Queen continued to conceal herself in the darkness, though her yellow eyes pierced through it. "I have a few tasks for you," she said with great authority, "I hope you do not mind taking a break from your usual routine..."

"I do not mind. What would you have me do?"

"It would appear that Keye has lost control of Grey Desert, but that is not what bothers me the most. He had a human there!"

"...A human? But didn't they all perish in the war?"

"I felt her aura thanks to Keye's orb, and she was indeed a human, though her body may show otherwise!"

The air in the room grew colder as the Queen's rage began to build. "I cannot believe I ever put Keye in charge of controlling Grey Desert and building a stronghold there!" she roared furiously, "He allowed a pathetic human and some weakling Pokemon to overthrow him! That human...the form she is in should've been easy to extinguish the life from, yet Keye couldn't even dispose of her before the revolt!" the Queen clenched her front paws tightly, her claws digging into her scales, "Do you have any idea how that made me feel inside? Furious! Outraged! _Sick_ with anger!"

"Would you have me exterminate the human?" Zelda dared to ask, her voice showing neither enthusiasm nor disdain. The Queen stopped her temper tantrum afterwards. "Yes, that is what I would have you do!" she shouted, "Find the human, and make her ears bleed from her screams of death and agony! Show her no mercy as you tear her to shreds!"

"Understood, Your Majesty."

"But that isn't all I wish for you to do."

"What else would you have me do?"

"Find a way to get inside Celestial City and join their resistance."

At this, Zelda's eyes grew large with shock. "But my Queen, why?" she protested, her voice further reflecting her surprise. "I want you to find their weaknesses, and exploit them. Tear their resistance down from the inside. But most of all, gain Dialga and Palkia's trust, and then steal their power from them! And then, I will personally make sure that Celestial City is turned crimson with their blood!"

"...I understand now. It shall be done."

"Good. Then get to it!"

A simple nod was given in response, and then Zelda left the throne room without another word.

Note: And here is Chapter 6 is at last! I'm so sorry for the wait. I got very...side-tracked, and was also further developing the plot. Some of the Queen's lines were also intended as a reference to The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, the character Ghirahim in particular (I'm sure those who have played the game or seen a bit of it can guess the lines; at least the most obvious one). See you next time!


End file.
